Functioning of Elder Muscle; Understanding Recovery Version 1
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Muscle phenotyping in frail older patients having hip surgery following fracture
IRAS ID
268635
Contact name
Ben Ollivere
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
Nottingham University
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 11 months, 17 days
Research summary
Sarcopenia is the age-related loss of skeletal muscle mass, quality and strength, and is a contributive factor to frailty in older individuals. Those with sarcopenia appear to be at greater risk of hospitalisation, falls and fracture, with hip fracture being both a serious consequence of sarcopenia, as well as a risk factor for frailty syndrome.
Those who are frail are vulnerable individuals who often have cognitive impairments, require assistance with activities of daily living, have reduced mobility and get fatigued easily. These factors make recruitment and engagement in musculoskeletal research difficult and helps to explain why little is known about the cellular physiology of the muscles of the very frail. Consequently, there is a paucity of data to guide the development of new treatments aimed at addressing sarcopenia. Investigations on healthy older individuals and prospective studies which try to mimic the muscle wasting seen in sarcopenia may not be generalisable to those who are frail.
The proposed study aims to improve our understanding of the function, histology and molecular signalling of skeletal muscle of frail older individuals by analysing muscle biopsy samples taken during hip surgery. It also provides an opportunity to probe why some individuals experience poorer outcomes than others. At present no frailty measures are validated against response to a challenge (they are mainly risk predictor tools) and we have the opportunity in the current study to ask ‘what is the best predictor of outcomes?’. We will investigate how cellular physiology associates with clinical measures (such as prior level of physical activity and functioning, cognition, muscle mass, and co-pathologies), to identify whether muscle physiology can predict those who will recover well and those who recover slowly or suffer complications. In the longer term it is envisaged this information will guide innovations in the diagnosis and treatment of frailty.REC name
London - Camden & Kings Cross Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
20/LO/0841
Date of REC Opinion
14 Jul 2020
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion